Art of exhibiting motion-pictures in natural colors.



W. E. OLIVER. ART OF EXHIBITING MOTION PICTURES IN NATURALGOLORS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.15, 1909.

973,961 Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

2 S'KBBTB-SHEET 1.

W. E. OLIVER. ART OF EXHIBITING MOTION PICTURES IN NATURAL COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1909.

973,961 Patented Oct. 25,1910,

A 2 BHEET8SHEET 2.

"Ill/IllI/I/l'ld $1114 l Whoa I WWW/saw Wfigigjr abbowwsa/ v UNITED ST ES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. oLIvnR, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF coLUMB A, SSIGNoR To THE OLIVER TRI-oIIRoMATIo coMPANY, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A

.sion of such views accordance with the well known princlple of which showed istration on a.curtain screen I failure.

CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

ART or EXHIBI'IING MOTION-PICTURES IN NAT RA coLoRs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

Application filed March 15, 1909. Serial No. 483,530.

To all whom c't-may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. OLIVER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Art of Exhibit--.,

ing Motion-Pictures in Natural Colors, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore in the display upon a curtain screen for public exhibition of asuccession of photographic images from negatives taken in rapid succession to produce what is known as moving pictures or kinetescopic effects, use was made of a single'film of indefinite length embddying a succession'of single views running into thousands, each a progressive movement of the object or scene depicted, the succesor images producing in of persistence of vision, the appeagance of actual motion. Such views are ommercially in black and white only The reason for this is the great expense incurred in coloring the thousands of. views on the tape or film and the practical impossibility of getting the colors on each View exactly alike. It has been common in color photography to use three positive lenses to throw .each image of each plate through glass screens of the three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, and by assembling the three images in perfect regto produce a composite view in natural colors. It is essential that the superimposition of the three images on the curtain screen be absolutely perfect for unless there is perfect coincidence or registration the picture will be a So it is that the placing of views on separate tapes or films has failed since intermittent movement of each in coextensive and synchronous intervals is practically impossible.

My present invention is designed to overcome these difiiculties and by the synthesis of the three color images to secure precise and synchronous and coextensive movement of the three views of each composite image,

plates, and by three.

cats the lenses,

on the use of three of projecting motion pictures upon a display screen in natural colors, by simultaneously taking, by the well known three color process, three negatives of each pose of the picture and placin the three images side by side on one an the same tape or film in transverse position across the same, then providing a separate color screen for each mage andi projecting the views through their respective" color screens in perfect registration on the display screen or curtain. The placing of the three images on a single tape or of movement, coextensive movement, and co- }extensive intervals of movement for the three alined images so that a perfect composite picture is presented on the curtain.

he and the camera for producing the three colored or film are more specifically described and claimed in other applications.

The characteristic features and scope of theinv'ention will be more clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, whereinfilm insures' absolute synchronism pro ecting apparatus, the tape or film photographic records on said tape Figure 1, is a diagrammatic View showing I the general arrangement of the lenses,

screens and prisms. Fig. 2, is an elevational view of the projecting apparatus showing more particularly the relation of the tricolored fihn and the lenses; and Fig. 3, illustrates the film.

Referring to the drawings, L, L, L indiwhereof the last two are adjusted byany suitable means (not shown) for minute angular adjustment. The P, P, P are under like control.

N, indicates an appropriate shutter with openings 0, which are opened and closed in any suitable manner.

G, indicates the gate or window at which the film or tape F, pauses at the moment the openings 0; in the shutter are opened. Y, indicates a source of light that illuminates the photographic images, X, the condenser, and S, S, and S are the color .9 prisms screens which filter the light from the con;

denserbefore it passes through the film.

M, indicates .the display field or screen which presents the picture in naturalv colors. By adjusting the refleeted prisms P, P P, upon their axes, the light rays which are diverged and reflected may be directed into line, with the optical :axes of the lenses L,

and L", after these have been adjusted to accurately superpose the three images upon the screen, which is, pf course, essential in three lenses must be the same in order, that the three pictures shall be in focus upon the screen simultaneously and in order that the lmages shall be identical in dimensions so that they may be accurately superposed,

these features being absolutely essential to the productionof a single composite picture and the synthesis of the three colors. I am -enabled to accomplish these ends by diverging the light rays of the colors upon either side of the central color, between the film and the lens, so that the central lens may be placed at a slightly greater distance from the film than the side lenses, the paths of the light from the film to the three lenses being thereby'made equal. This also provides for be sufiicient to say that the film is a triple View film, but the views are all integral so far as the body of the film is concerned, that is to say the film is three times the width of' equal illumination of the three images since it is essential thatthe path of light from i the condensing lens X to each of the lenses shall be uniform in order that the maximum light may be focused upon each lens to obtain the full illumination, the position of the 7 light source Y being changed with each change in the focus.

The colors employed are the three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, the red screen S, being located in the center or middle compartment B, with the com lemental yellow and blue screens, S, and on either side thereof or. respectively in the compartments A, and C. In my practical investigation of this subject, I have found that it is essential that the red. rays should be transmitted and I projected without deviation from the source,

because of the much lower rate of wave-vibration of the red com ared with the wavevibrations of the other colors'employed. The blue and yellow or green rays which have a higher rate oi vibration and greater persistence may be diverged out of the original path from the source of l" ht and then proected by the transmitting ens without materlal loss of light intensity. That is, by transmitting the red color of slower vibration directly through the central lens andv rei fleeting the other two colors having higher rates of vibration, and which are more nearly alike-in wave vibration, I am enabled to secure a nearly perfect synthesis of colors. The prisms transmit the light rays passing through their respectivecolor screens and diverge them .in a manner to bring them into axial alinement with the lenses L and L They also, serve to restore the position of the images and secure absolute correspondence in the fields of all the lenses.

The reflecting prisms which are employed are placed in Fig. 1, each view or image has its color screen and the several nnages all on ployed.

. chronously to diverge the rays of the two. outside colors intermediate the picture film and the lenses and closely adjacent the film in order that they mayrec'eive' the fullest illu-.

mination from the light issuing from the condensing lens, the intensity of the light diminishing with the square of the distance.

The prisms receive the incident parallel extending across the entire image of' ra S this film. The light rays are then focused in thelens and project a sharp and distinct image directly upon, the screen with the 'full illumination of the lens.

Traveling vertically between the prisms and color screens isthe tape or film, which as indicated in 3, has disposed trans- .versely thereof three photographic records F, F, F, of each pose of the scene depicted, which three records are side by side and are repeated along the length of'the film in successive poses. The film and the special camera for taking the views, are, as before stated, the subjects of other applications of mine. For the present application it will the usual film and hasJthr'ee views, made in accordance with the well known three-color process, of each pose, in a transverse plane thereof, the three views being repeated in unlimited succession in depicting the compicture. As shown roper plete scene of the mov' the display screen or curtain M, in perfect coincidenceito form a single composite picture in which the naturalcolors appear in accordance with process. 7

To impart the necessary movement to the the well known three color film it is earned on aspoolor reel D, as

seen in Fig. 2, and after passing the shutter is received on another reel or s 001 below. Intermittent motion is provide hold" the three images the longest ossible soasto time in the line of projection, and or this purpose any well known means may be em- With a ated by the three colorprojecting apparatus, it will be seen that the three prlmary colors when superimposed on a single field'in perfilm made as described, and operin natural colors, which consists in project ing from a single film through complemental color screensa plurality of photorays of the two tical media directly upon a screen or cur tain.

2. The art of displaying motion pictures in natural colors, which consists in superimposing on an identical field photographic records or images in the three primary colors, said images being projected from a film having a series of like views extending transversely thereof with the red rays in the center, the light rays from the other two colors being diverged from their original paths in opposite directions, and the rays of the three colors, having paths of equal focal distance, and being'projected directly upon a curtain or screen through optical media.

3. The art of displaying motion pictures in natural colors, which consists in forming on a single film a plurality of transversely ranging views of each pose of the picture and projecting them synchronously and coextensively through their proper corresponding color screens in equal focal relations and directly through an optic medium upon an identical field. v

4. The art of exhibiting motion pictures in natural colors, which consists in forming three like images of each pose of the object diverging 1n opor scene to be reproduced, and projecting them through complemental color screens with the red rays in the center, diverging the rays of the other two colors in opposite directions, and then converging them in a manner to coincide with the said red rays upon a screen while maintaining equal focal distances in the paths of three colors, and projecting the rays of the three colors directly upon the screen through optical media. I

5. The art of exhibiting motion pictures in natural colors, which consists in forming in transverse alinement and in the three primary color values three like images of each pose of the object on scene to be reproduced, and projecting them through complemental color screens with the red rays in the middle, diverging the rays of the other two colors in opposite directions, and then converging them in a manner to coincide with the said red rays upon a screen, maintaining equal focal distances for the light rays of the three colors, and projecting the rays of the three colors directly upon the screen through optical media.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. OLIVER.

Witnesses:

JAs. A. RICHMOND, A. F. WILLIAMS. 

